Who wrote The Children of Odin, a 1920 retelling of Norse myths for young readers?

Padraic Colum wrote The Children of Odin, a 1920 retelling of Norse myths for young readers.

Colum was an Irish poet, playwright, novelist, and children’s author. The book presents stories about Odin, Thor, Loki, Balder, and other figures in accessible prose rather than translating the medieval Icelandic poems word for word.

The title is sometimes confused with later collections such as D’Aulaires’ Book of Norse Myths or Kevin Crossley-Holland’s Norse Myths. Colum’s version is especially associated with early twentieth-century children’s literature and helped introduce the Norse gods to English-speaking young readers.

Its source material ultimately includes the Poetic Edda and Prose Edda, but Colum reshaped those narratives for a modern audience. The book’s publication date is often given as 1920, although later editions have different introductions and illustrations.